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Las Vegas NBA Dreams Grow as Lakers’ Preseason Game Boosts Excitement

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It’s more than an annual preseason game in Las Vegas, but the affair seems to play a bigger role in stirring up buzz over the Los Angeles Lakers’ potential future viability as an NBA market. Las Vegas, after all, is fast becoming a hotbed for professional sports, including the NHL’s Golden Knights, not to forget the NFL’s Raiders.

There is a strong case for Las Vegas to have a permanent NBA franchise built by the consistent presence of Lakers for preseason games in Las Vegas, something that points to its enthusiasm and suitability.

Fans are coming to see these games, not only to catch glimpses of some stars but also to feel the electric atmosphere provided by high-level basketball. The sold-out crowds and frenetic intensity prove that Las Vegas might have an opportunity to work as an NBA city.

The sentiment gains importance with the NBA showing serious interest in relocation or expansion of teams and Las Vegas being one of the top venues or relocation options close to Seattle.

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To date, the NBA has made no such moves toward settling a team in Las Vegas. However, with such solid preseason performances and the quality infrastructure built to support sports, it looks like Vegas is now ready for NBA consideration.

The biggest sports news sweeping the South, however, remained the Las Vegas Raiders parting ways with Davante Adams to send him to the New York Jets. Just did not seem to matter, though, to the announced crowd of 16,907 inside T-Mobile Arena Tuesday night.

The Lakers came to town for their annual preseason visit, facing the Golden State Warriors, and as has been the case far too many times, there was enough electricity for a dynamo.

A couple of warm-up dunks by LeBron James followed by his patented pregame chalk toss set things off.

James’ failed attempt at a windmill dunk less than three minutes in produced some reaction from the crowd before his two-handed stuff at the 7:15 mark of the first quarter drew a roar of approval.

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The NBA had returned, even if for one night.

“‘Las Vegas has proven to be an excellent sports town,’ said coach JJ Reddick after his Lakers, (1-3) lost 111-97 to Golden State (5-0). ‘I know that whether it’s been the hockey team, WNBA team, the NFL team, there’s a nice following. There’s obviously a lot of things to do. It’s a place that people like to come visit.’”

Behind the Warriors’ bench, Los Angeles Sparks star Dearica Hamby and daughter Amaya along with teammate Rae Burrell did sit courtside. Undefeated super lightweight Emiliano Vargas had a seat directly behind James on the Lakers’ bench.

“It’s amazing, you know, they don’t have this experience very much out of Aces basketball, so to speak,” said Hamby during halftime. “I think the city shows up when they can come out and support basketball in Las Vegas.”

As Burrell, a Las Vegas native, describes it, she would think of the place as nothing more than the famous Strip and the historic “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas” sign.

Las Vegas arguably started during the 1983-84 season when the Utah Jazz scheduled 11 “home” games at the then-newly built Thomas & Mack Center on UNLV’s campus. On April 5, 1984, with the Lakers in town to play the Jazz, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar became the greatest scorer in NBA history at the time, surpassing Wilt Chamberlain’s 31,419 points.

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The Lakers played its first preseason games at Las Vegas in 1988. During the NBA All-Star Game held in Las Vegas in 2007, the late Kobe Bryant was voted MVP after leading the Western Conference to victory.

Although an official process is still years away at best, NBA commissioner Adam Silver mentioned Las Vegas and Seattle in discussing expansion last July.

With the league poised to expand, which will make the NBA a regular night out every season, Warriors star Draymond Green doesn’t see the allure of Las Vegas wearing off.

“That’s never going to wear off,” Green said. “It hasn’t worn off since (Frank) Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr, back in the 60s. Basketball or football or baseball or anything else is only going to add to that. I think what you see with Vegas is a shift from the entertainment that Vegas has once seen, to sports.”.

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